Debut You is an interview feature on Our Stories Matter blog. Debut authors, who have released or have upcoming releases in 2022, are given five questions to answer about themselves and their book. Currently, the questions are the same for all authors. We hope you enjoy getting to know Alliah L. Agostini and can offer your support. Go here for past Debut You features.
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Describe yourself in five words, then expound on one of them.
Genuine, motivated, truth-seeking, agile, and visionary.
Visionary—I’ve always found joy in and created value by finding white spaces and filling them. It’s been a thread throughout my personal and career journey, and it has been incredibly fulfilling to be able to do this in the literary space.
Explain your book’s journey—how long did it take—from idea to publication?
This book’s journey took about a year. My publisher (becker&mayer! kids of Quarto Kids) was interested in writing a book about the origins of the Juneteenth holiday, and my agent shared the opportunity with me.
At the time, I was primarily focused on writing fiction, but the idea of writing a book about Juneteenth struck a chord because of my own family’s history of celebrating the holiday. My grandfather was part of a group that helped found Buffalo, New York’s Juneteenth celebration in 1976. It has become one of the largest running celebrations in the country.
My agent struck a deal, and I quickly immersed myself in research about the history of enslavement in America, the circumstances of the first Juneteenth, and how the holiday evolved thereafter. I used books, articles, audio and video recordings, and even conversations with my grandfather about his and his co-founders’ motivation to bring Juneteenth to Buffalo.
While I initially wanted to focus on telling a joyous, celebratory story, I knew that couldn’t be it—Juneteenth’s circumstances are rooted in a horrific, unjust system, and it would be irresponsible of me to sugarcoat it. I tried to find the balance between remembrance of Juneteenth’s circumstances and how it evolved into a celebration.
I worked with my editors to refine the narrative I developed and went through rounds of fact-checking and sensitivity reading to ensure the research and story were consistent.
The illustration process was done separately—I worked with the editorial team to provide direction on the illustration notes, and the incredible Sawyer Cloud provided illustrations that brought my words to life in such a breathtaking way.
Belief in oneself is important; besides you, who has been your cheerleader(s) throughout this process?
I couldn’t have done this without my family and friends who encouraged me throughout this process and reminded me that I can and have done much of what I’ve put my mind to.
My 90 years young grandfather’s excitement about this has absolutely kept me going. I’ve been able to loop him into every milestone, and my daughter and I read the book aloud to him on Zoom when I received my very first copy. He’s so proud (I’m pretty sure he has told everyone in the city of Buffalo), and I’m thrilled to help acknowledge his and his co-founders’ legacy in even some small way. I’m also grateful to my writing community of critique partners, who have also been great mentors along this journey, and to my agent—who’s also an established non-fiction author—who encouraged me to give this a try!
Understanding your audience is essential. What do you know for sure about the audience you are writing for?
I know most of them don’t know very much about Juneteenth! Honestly, most Americans (even Black folks) learned about Juneteenth for the first time in 2020. Even though I knew about Juneteenth, I learned a lot while researching. Although this is a picture book, it’s more for elementary school students and, secondarily, their parents/guardians. I think it works as a great cross-generational learning tool and as a reference tool in schools.
Tell us about your book.
The Juneteenth Story traces about 500(!) years of history in a 32-page picture book, starting with the original irony of America’s first Independence Day—everyone in America was not yet legally “free.” The book takes a step back to provide context to the origins of American slavery, highlighting the fight for abolition and the delayed notification of said abolition to enslaved people in Texas, leading to the events of the first Juneteenth.
The book goes on to illustrate how Juneteenth had historically been celebrated and how the celebration ebbed and flowed with time, highlighting key Juneteenth moments and how the holiday ultimately spread throughout the country. I also included an author’s note about my own Juneteenth memories/reflections and a timeline.
YOU did it, congratulations! Your story is going to be read by children or teens, educators, parents, librarians, book bloggers, etc. How do you feel, and are there any other projects in the works—that you can discuss?
Honestly, this still feels surreal. The fact that people I don’t know will read my words in a book (and that there will be others!) is still mind-blowing. This was definitely a work of heart and something I am proud to contribute as a resource for families to learn about this important but once relatively unknown holiday.
But a big part of me is so troubled that some people view books that share the less palatable sides of American history or center Black experiences as some kind of a threat. I suppose some people still fear the power of our voices—and of the truth.
My next book was originally going to be my debut book! It is a fiction rhyming picture book called Big Tune, scheduled to launch with Farrar, Straus and Giroux in Winter 2023. Big Tune is a story of Black boy joy, featuring a very tenacious, thoughtful, dance-loving Jamerican boy in early 1990s Brooklyn. I can’t wait to share it with you all.
The Juneteenth Story: Celebrating the End of Slavery in the United States
Sawyer Cloud | becker&mayer! Kids | May 3, 2022 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop
Alliah L. Agostini writes to spread joy because we can always use more of it. She also knows firsthand how valuable it is for more people, young readers especially, to finally see themselves reflected on the page. Alliah founded and contributes to Grownesque, a blog and social media destination for Xennial women. She resides in New Jersey, where she enjoys impromptu dance parties and making up corny jokes with her husband and two children. She is a member of SCBWI and has an AB and MBA from Harvard.
Connect with Alliah L. Agostini
Headshot Photo credit (c) Paul Chinnery Photography
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